[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 43 (Monday, October 28, 2002)]
[Pages 1836-1839]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Children's Online Safety

October 23, 2002

    Thank you all for coming. Welcome to the White House. And thanks for 
the work that most of you do on behalf of protecting this country's 
children. Because children are so vulnerable, they need the constant 
protection of adults. And because children are so vulnerable, they're 
often the targets of cruel and ruthless criminals.
    I am deeply saddened by the recent tragedy that we've seen here in 
Washington. There is a ruthless person on the loose. I've ordered the 
full resources of the Federal Government to help local law enforcement 
officials in their efforts to capture this person. Laura and I join our 
fellow Americans in prayer as we pray for the families and friends who 
have lost loved ones, as we pray for the safety of our fellow citizens, 
as we pray for the quick end to this period of violence and fear.
    Protecting children from sexual exploitation is also a priority. It 
needs to be a priority and is a priority of this country. Earlier this 
month, I convened the first ever White House Conference on Missing, 
Exploited, and Runaway Children. And those efforts continue today.

[[Page 1837]]

    I've just met with law enforcement representatives from the Federal, 
State, and local level from several States who spend their time tracking 
down and prosecuting online predators. These officials are impressive 
people. They're the best of America. They're doing difficult and 
disturbing and essential work. And I thank them for coming here today.
    Our Nation has made this commitment: Anyone who targets a child for 
harm will be a primary target of law enforcement. That's our commitment. 
Anyone who takes the life or innocence of a child will be punished to 
the full extent of the law.
    Today I want to discuss with you several aggressive steps we are 
taking to protect our children from exploitation and from danger on the 
Internet.
    I appreciate so very much Robert Mueller, the Director of the FBI, 
is here with us today. I thank you for your service, for your good work. 
I want to thank the Deputy Attorney General of the Department of 
Justice, Larry Thompson, for being here. Mr. Deputy, thanks for coming. 
Bob Bonners, the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service, is with us 
today. They play an integral role in helping to catch these predators 
overseas.
    Federal, State, and law enforcement officers and prosecutors who are 
here with us today, ranging from California to Alabama to Maryland--from 
all around the country. I want to thank you all for being here to hear 
this progress and commitment that we share for our country.
    When a child's life or innocence is taken, a grave and unforgivable 
act has occurred. A parent's worst nightmare has become real. And you 
all here are on the frontlines of this great struggle to see to it that 
no parent has to live through the nightmare. That's what you're doing.
    The Internet is a remarkable technology. We've all learned that. 
It's revolutionized education, vastly increased the flow of information, 
increases our knowledge. We're now in closer touch with our family and 
friends. People are now connected across the globe. It's an exciting 
tool. But more than half of our Nation children now online--let me start 
over--more than half of the Nation is now online, and 75 percent of the 
children are online.
    The flow of information is freer and broader. Yet the new freedom 
presents us with an unprecedented challenge, a technology that brings 
knowledge also brings obscenity and danger. Until recently, the worst 
kind of pornography was mainly limited to red-light districts or 
restricted to adults or confined by geography, isolated by shame. With 
the Internet, pornography is now instantly available to any child who 
has a computer. And in the hands of the wrong people, in the hands of 
incredibly wicked people, the Internet is a tool that lures children 
into real danger.
    Sexual predators use the Internet to distribute child pornography 
and obscenity. They use the Internet to engage in sexually explicit 
conversations. They use the Internet to lure children out of the safety 
of their homes into harm's way. Every day, millions of children log on 
to the Internet, and every day we learn more about the evil of the world 
that has crept into it. In a single year, one in four children between 
the ages of 10 and 17 is voluntarily--involuntarily exposed to 
pornography. That's one in four children. One in five children receives 
a sexual solicitation over the Internet. One in 17 children is 
threatened or harassed. We've got a widespread problem, and we're going 
to deal with it.
    We don't accept this kind of degrading. It's unacceptable to 
America. We don't accept offensive conduct like this in our schools, in 
the commercial establishments, and we can't accept it in our homes. We 
cannot allow this to happen to our children. The chief responsibility to 
protect America's children lies with their parents. You are responsible 
for the welfare of your child. It's your responsibility.
    There are several practical things parents can do to protect their 
children from the dangers of online predators. First of all, pay 
attention to your children. If you love your children, pay attention to 
them. Know what they're doing. Share your experience with your children. 
Make it clear to your children about the potential online dangers they 
face. Make it clear to them the kinds of Web sites they need to avoid.

[[Page 1838]]

    Children need to be told to never provide personal information to 
anyone online. It seems like a simple parental responsibility. Mothers 
and dads all across America need to do their job and make it clear to 
their children there can be danger by providing personal information. 
Don't share any passwords--that's a logical thing for a mom or a dad to 
do, tell their children not to share a password with a total stranger. 
Don't agree to meet with somebody they've never met. Don't agree to meet 
with somebody that chats them up on the Internet, unless the mom or dad 
is with them.
    Parents should keep computers in a central location and check up on 
what their kids are doing. They ought to not ignore what their children 
are doing. They ought to pay attention to their children. They have a 
responsibility. A mother or dad ought to pay just as much attention to 
their child when they're on the Internet as if they're in the playground 
or walking in the mall.
    Parents have the first and foremost responsibility. Yet we as a 
society share this duty as well, and that's what we were talking about 
today. Parents need allies in the upbringing of their children. Our 
Nation should make the essential work of mothers and fathers easier, not 
harder. Our Government, at every level, must take the side of 
responsible parents, and we will.
    We're waging an aggressive nationwide effort to prevent the use of 
the Internet to sexually exploit and endanger children. That's what 
we're doing. I want to share some of that with you today. Through an FBI 
program called Innocent Images, we identify, we investigate, and we 
prosecute sexual predators across the country.
    FBI agents are obtaining evidence of criminal Internet activity by 
conducting undercover operations, using fictitious screen names and 
entering into online chat rooms. I had the honor of listening to one 
such FBI agent today. She was telling us what it's like to deal with 
these sick minds. Interesting, afterwards I said, ``It must be tough to 
do the job you do.'' She says, ``I've got two children. I don't want it 
to ever happen to any child.'' I appreciate your dedication.
    Innocent Images prosecutions increased by more than 50 percent over 
the last 2 years. We're making progress. Just like we're hunting the 
terrorists down one at a time, we're hunting these predators down one at 
a time too. Based on the progress, I'm pleased to announce that we will 
expand this program and significantly increase the funding in the next 
fiscal year. We will also seek to almost double funding for the Internet 
Crimes Against Children Task Forces, from $6.5 million in fiscal year 
2002 to $12.5 million in fiscal 2003. These task forces help State and 
local authorities enforce laws against child pornography and 
exploitation.
    Since 1998, the task forces have helped train more than 1,500 
prosecutors and 1,900 investigators. They've served 700 search warrants 
and 1,400 subpoenas. The task forces have provided direct, investigative 
assistance in more than 3,000 cases. They've arrested more than 1,400 
suspects. These task forces are a great success. They're a great success 
because we've got a lot of good people working on these projects, a lot 
of dedicated Americans whose stomachs turn when they realize what's 
happening to our children, great Americans who decided to do something 
about it. This additional funding I've announced means that in--we'll 
increase the number of regional task forces up to 40 around the country.
    Our efforts to fight Internet exploitation of children extend 
throughout this Government, throughout all levels of government. The 
U.S. Postal Inspection service provides an important role in tracking 
sexual predators, because child pornographers often use the mail to 
purchase obscene materials off the Internet. In Operation Avalanche, 
postal inspectors created an undercover Web site which they used to 
bring down what is to believe--what is believed to be the largest 
commercial child pornography enterprise ever encountered by law 
enforcement authorities in the United States. It started in Texas. It 
ended in Texas because of the hard work of the postal inspectors, the 
good work of prosecutors, and the sentencing of one tough Federal judge.
    The Customs Service is conducting Operation Hamlet, which earlier 
this year dismantled an international ring of child molesters, an 
international ring of sick minds. Acting on a tip from European 
authorities, Customs

[[Page 1839]]

officers tracked down child molesters in the United States, many of whom 
were molesting their own children and distributing the images of these 
children on the Internet. Authorities have identified 25 individuals 
involved in this ring, 14 of whom were Americans. Through Operation 
Hamlet, 65 children have been rescued.
    We're taking aggressive steps to protect children from exploitation 
and victimization. And the United States Congress can help by passing 
the ``Child Obscenity and Pornography Prevention Act.'' The House has 
passed this important bill, and I want to thank them for their good 
work.
    The House passed a bill which makes it illegal for child 
pornographers to disseminate obscene, computer-generated images of 
children. It's an important piece of legislation. The Senate needs to 
act soon. The Senate needs to get moving and join the House in providing 
our prosecutors with the tools necessary to help shut down this 
obscenity, this crime--these crimes against children.
    When a child's life or innocence is taken, a grave and unforgivable 
act has occurred. A parent's worst nightmare has come real. The people 
in this room are on the frontlines of a great struggle, determined to 
see that no parent is forced to live through a nightmare.
    I'm tremendously grateful for the good works. I want to thank you 
all for being true patriots. I want you to know, at the Federal level, 
we're joining in the fight. We'll go after them, one person at a time, 
to make America a promising place for everybody who lives here.
    May God bless your work, and may God bless America. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 2:15 p.m. in the Presidential Hall in the 
Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he 
referred to the sniper attacks in the Washington, DC, area which left 10 
dead and 3 injured. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a 
Spanish language transcript of these remarks.